The Taliban warned on Monday (August 23) that if the United States and its allies try to stay in Afghanistan beyond next week, there will be “consequences,” as Washington has stepped up its efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people eager to flee.
Thousands of soldiers flocked back to the country to monitor the chaos of the airlift of foreigners and Afghans from Kabul Airport. US President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to extend the August 31 full withdrawal deadline.
The British Ministry of Defence said that a toddler was trampled to death by a crowd at Kabul Airport on Saturday. This was one of seven Afghan civilians killed in recent days.
As US and NATO forces tried to ease the chaos, clashes at the airport continued on Monday. https://t.co/wtVl0fZ0Gq pic.twitter.com/qDsWTBWSPg
-The New York Times (@nytimes) August 23, 2021
Biden and his G7 counterparts-some of whom are urging him to keep soldiers at the airport to keep the airport open-will meet on Tuesday to coordinate on Afghanistan and how to deal with the tough Islamic Taliban agenda .
“Our goal is to evacuate as many people as possible as quickly as possible,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
“The point is to do our best to do this by the end of this month.”
National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan told reporters that the White House believes that it can evacuate all Americans before the deadline-but insists that most of the people evacuated every day are Afghan nationals.
So far, the Taliban have not shown a willingness to compromise.
Spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told Sky News that any foreign military presence beyond the agreed period will be an “extended occupation.”
“If the United States or the United Kingdom seek more time to continue the evacuation-the answer is no… there will be consequences,” he said.
Our armed forces are helping vulnerable civilians at Kabul Airport with care and compassion.
We provide them with food, water, baby milk, diapers and hygiene kits. More than 1,000 British personnel were deployed to Kabul. pic.twitter.com/BStze1j7vA
-Department of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 23, 2021
The Taliban is currently forming a government, but two sources within the movement told AFP that there will be no cabinet announcement until the last American soldier leaves Afghanistan.
Distressing scene
The hurried departure from Kabul triggered a tragic scene, with at least eight people dead — some were crushed to death, and at least one youth football player fell from the plane and died.
The German Ministry of Defense said on Monday that an Afghan man was killed and three others were wounded in the dawn exchange of fire between local guards and an unidentified attacker.
The Taliban are notorious for their ultra-strict interpretations of Sharia law during their reign from 1996 to 2001. This time they have repeatedly claimed to be different and announced amnesties for government forces and officials.
But an intelligence document from the United Nations stated that militants were pursuing former government officials and those who cooperated with the United States and NATO forces from house to house.
In the capital, former insurgents created a sense of calm in this long-stricken city by violent crime, with their fighters patrolling the streets and stationed at checkpoints.
With government offices still closed for most of the time, many Afghans are worried about getting paid-but the Taliban announced on Monday that they will appoint a central bank governor to keep the financial industry running.
Hardliners have also been seeking to make their authority visible to everyone, ensuring that the tri-color flag is replaced by their white flag.
In Kabul over the weekend, young people set up a roadside stall to sell Taliban flags, which were printed with the Muslim declaration of faith and the official name of the regime: “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
‘Need extra time’
Although Biden and his senior aides insist that the airlift can be completed on time, the European Union and the United Kingdom say this is impossible.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will raise this issue at the G7 virtual summit.
Wallace told reporters in Scotland: “If their schedule is extended by one or two days, then we can evacuate people for another day or two.”
Germany said it was negotiating with NATO allies and the Taliban to keep Kabul Airport open for evacuation after August 31, while France said it “needs more time to complete ongoing operations”.
Sullivan said at the White House: “We maintain close contact with our allies and partners to coordinate the evacuation of their citizens and their priority personnel.”
Biden and his assistants admitted that there were tragic scenes at the airport, including babies and children being passed to soldiers through barbed wire, and some people clinging to the outside of the departing plane, but said that these were inevitable.
Biden said on Sunday: “Without the pictures of pain, loss and heartbreaking you have seen, there would be no way to evacuate so many people.”
A White House official said on Monday that in the past 12 hours (until 1900 GMT), 10,900 people had been evacuated from Kabul Airport, and the number of transfers since the start of enhanced airlift on August 14 reached 48,000.
Revolt
Outside Kabul, there is resistance to the Taliban.
Some former government troops gathered in the Panjshir Valley in the north of the capital-long known as an anti-Taliban fortress. There were sporadic reports of conflicts overnight.
Taliban militants are “stationed near Panjshir,” spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter, adding that the organization is trying to “peacefully” solve the problem.
One of the leaders of the Panjshir movement, known as the National Resistance Front, is the son of the famous anti-Taliban commander Ahmed Shah Masood.
NRF spokesperson Ali Maisam Nazary told AFP in an interview with Agence France-Presse over the weekend that NRF is ready to deal with a “prolonged conflict” but is still seeking negotiations with the Taliban on an inclusive government.
